omitusaf:


Jesus is the only way to eternal life. No other religion or way can lead to life. Many people will bite their fingers in regret at the last day because thry refused to believe in the One God has sent. No one has ever laid down his life for another to be saved from eternal destruction. Jesus, because of His love, redeemed mankind from sin by dying in their place. He bore the punishment meant for you and I so that we will not be destroyed as a result of our sin. Think about this. It is love that made Him do this. And it is love that made Him call us to accept this gift of life in Christ.
[Url=http://www.wheatlandbiblechapel.org/salvation-32/p-alignleftfont-color000000preacher-of-the-old-school-6437] The Preacher of the Old School[/url]

There is no point sermonizing.

Lets use an analogy, is it true that since the advent of GSM people the world over, that had analogue landlines cannot make/receive calls again?

Enoch, Elijah who were taken to heaven (according to Bible) believed in Jesus, right?
The Truth that is God transcend all we know or imagine.

It is heretical inane to limit God to only your religious belief.

Nobody will get born again until you know the truth and chose to believe it. The Bible says and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.

This is the truth. That by one man's sin (Adam) we all became sinners.. by birth even before carrying out the act. So man continued to live a life of sin unconsciously and died because the wages of sin(either knowingly or unknowingly) death.

God had a perfect plan to reconcile man back to himself. He created man for fellowship. This a fact-That God is just and he will leave no sin unpunished. so he made a plan.

1. God gave the law (commandments), to make man aware of sin. So man became aware of his own sinfulness but couldn't life by the law. He kept breaking them.

2. Since all men were sinful, the death of a man means he paid the penalty for his own sin.

3. So God needed to redeem man himself since no one was righteous. No not one... He needed someone that he would punish once and for all. Someone that would bear the punishment for everybody. (Because God is just and he will punish sin any day, any time) but the person must be sinless.

4. Now came John 3:16, He sent his only begotten son Jesus. To first of all live a sinless life, fulfill the law (10 commandments) and die for man's sins. This is the mystery-That God was inside Jesus, reconciling the world to himself because Jesus said. "I and my Father are one".

5. So Jesus died bearing all punishment for man's sin.. better rephrased God judged man's sin by raining all punishment on Holy Jesus.

6. Hence, Since sin entered the world through one man, righteousness rained in the world through the "man" Jesus. So all laws, all accusations, all condemnations... we're bore by Jesus.

7. But God left man with a choice.. To believe this Truth.... "that whosoever believes shouldn't perish but have everlasting life". This is the basis of Christianity.

8. Most people believe this Truth but still struggle with sin. That is because as simple as it sound it seems too easy to be true. A slave though declared free may chose to remain a slave of he does nothing about the truth that declared him free.

Act on what you believe. That is faith. Faith is an action. You may believe a politician and yet not go out to vote for him. Believe Jesus and chose to move on with him. Satan Wil throw sin and condemnation at you. But the Bible says "There is therefore no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.

When you believe the totality of the Gospel. The Spirit of God takes over. And keeps pruning you daily.

Peace.

Bibline:
Nobody will get born again until you know the truth and chose to believe it. The Bible says and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.

This is the truth. That by one man's sin (Adam) we all became sinners.. by birth even before carrying out the act. So man continued to live a life of sin unconsciously and died because the wages of sin(either knowingly or unknowingly) death.

God had a perfect plan to reconcile man back to himself. He created man for fellowship. This a fact-That God is just and he will leave no sin unpunished. so he made a plan.

1. God gave the law (commandments), to make man aware of sin. So man became aware of his own sinfulness but couldn't life by the law. He kept breaking them.

2. Since all men were sinful, the death of a man means he paid the penalty for his own sin.

3. So God needed to redeem man himself since no one was righteous. No not one... He needed someone that he would punish once and for all. Someone that would bear the punishment for everybody. (Because God is just and he will punish sin any day, any time) but the person must be sinless.

4. Now came John 3:16, He sent his only begotten son Jesus. To first of all live a sinless life, fulfill the law (10 commandments) and die for man's sins. This is the mystery-That God was inside Jesus, reconciling the world to himself because Jesus said. "I and my Father are one".

5. So Jesus died bearing all punishment for man's sin.. better rephrased God judged man's sin by raining all punishment on Holy Jesus.

6. Hence, Since sin entered the world through one man, righteousness rained in the world through the "man" Jesus. So all laws, all accusations, all condemnations... we're bore by Jesus.

7. But God left man with a choice.. To believe this Truth.... "that whosoever believes shouldn't perish but have everlasting life". This is the basis of Christianity.

8. Most people believe this Truth but still struggle with sin. That is because as simple as it sound it seems too easy to be true. A slave though declared free may chose to remain a slave of he does nothing about the truth that declared him free.

Act on what you believe. That is faith. Faith is an action. You may believe a politician and yet not go out to vote for him. Believe Jesus and chose to move on with him. Satan Wil throw sin and condemnation at you. But the Bible says "There is therefore no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.

When you believe the totality of the Gospel. The Spirit of God takes over. And keeps pruning you daily.

Peace.

where is the place of justice in these your arguments?

is God a sadistic tyrant, that he should punish a righteous man for other peoples' sins?

Do you know or researched into how the concept of "everlasting life" for man came about and crept into Christianity?

God never created man to live for ever, because man was "perfect" at creation, and as such no amount of "sin" would have made man fall and lose eternal life; "for the gift and call of God is without repentance", meaning man never had the gift of eternal life.

After all the "sin" of man is nothing compared to that of Lucifer/Satan yet Lucifer/Satan lives for ever.

iliyande:
The term “born again” is one of the most used phrases among present-day Christians. Yet, if asked what the term born again means, most church members could not give a clear explanation. The importance of this subject is shown in what Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Jesus is saying that to be born again is to be saved. Being born again is the plan of salvation that Jesus authored at Calvary.

We've all probably heard the encounter between the pharisee Nicodemus and Jesus and the conversation they had about being born again. In John 3:3, Jesus tells Nicodemus, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again[b] he cannot see the kingdom of God." It confused the scholar back then and it still confuses many today.

But sadly many Christians loosely throw around the concept and phrase, often losing the true essence of spiritual rebirth. Being born again can mean a lot of things to many people and many of the interpretations can be far from the truth. Here are three common ways that many Christians misunderstand being born again.

That being born again means being perfect

Often, believers think that when we are born into the faith as we receive Jesus into our lives that almost instantly all our vices, bad habits and problems will go away. God never says this and in fact tells us that coming into a relationship with Him is only the start of the journey.

2 Corinthians 3:18 says, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." Progressively Jesus changes us into His image and likeness as He removes the occurrence of sin in our life.

That born again comes by confessing alone

Christianity is far from just being lip service. It is a faith that encompasses every part of our being. To say that "we're Christian" alone does not mean that we now live a life in Christ. Even Romans 10:9 tells us that "...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

More than just confessing with our mouths, we are to believe in our hearts, which will then result to a new way of life as we surrender to God and trust Him to do what's best for us. That's why it's called faith. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus emphasized, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

That we are born into a religion

Being born again does not just result simply to becoming a member of a church organization or being born into an earthly alliance. When we are born again, we are born into both a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ and then consequently added to the fellowship of saints. It has very little to do with ritual and tradition and has everything to do with love and intimacy.

The truth is that you do not allow anything to turn you aside from this truth: you must be born again. If you haven’t as yet, you should do so today

That being born again means we are to dress in rag clothes

menxer:


Enoch, Elijah who were taken to heaven (according to Bible) believed in Jesus, right?

Yep, they all did. All the saints in the old testament believed in God the Son aka Jesus Christ. And they were justified by their faith, just as saints in the new testament are justified by faith. And God dealt with the sins of all the saints in the old testament by exacting the punishment on His Son on the cross. Even though he passed over their sins in his divine forbearance. (Romans 3:25-26).

The Cross is the one single pivotal event in all of human history.

kollected44:


Yep, they all did. All the saints in the old testament believed in God the Son aka Jesus Christ. And they were justified by their faith, just as saints in the new testament are justified by faith. And God dealt with the sins of all the saints in the old testament by exacting the punishment on His Son on the cross. Even though he passed over their sins in his divine forbearance. (Romans 3:25-26).

The Cross is the one single pivotal event in all of human history.

How so logical.

So Elijah, Enoch, Noah preached Jesus Christ? no wonder!

if it is by faith then, why bother people to be born again? I guess the olden days patriarchs were all born again.

menxer:


How so logical.

So Elijah, Enoch, Noah preached Jesus Christ? no wonder!

if it is by faith then, why bother people to be born again? I guess the olden days patriarchs were all born again.

Elijah, Enoch, Noah, all believed in God. Indeed, the prophets were all chosen by God so they all lived their lives by faith in God.

And the Godhead consists of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

So, yes, it is perfectly logical. They believed in God the Son, or Jesus as you might want to call Him.

But since they were men, even though God declared them to be righteous, they all had sin. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

David had adultery and murder, Abraham demonstrated unbelief at times, Noah got drunk, and so on and so forth.

And the standard to enter the Kingdom of God is 100 percent perfect obedience to His laws because He is exceedingly holy and cannot stand one taint of sin, because it is absolutely contrary to his character. And since all men have fallen in Adam, God sent His Son into the world to redeem all of His people.
Elijah, David and Noah could not have been in heaven if God didn't have a predetermined plan to deal with their sins.


And yes, Noah being a prophet, did preach Jesus Christ. God coming to Him and asking Him to build an ark to save his household from the flood was all a picture of Christ. There is judgement coming, and everyone who is not found in Christ by faith will suffer eternal condemnation, just as those who perished in the flood.

kollected44:


Elijah, Enoch, Noah, all believed in God. Indeed, the prophets were all chosen by God so they all lived their lives by faith in God.

And the Godhead consists of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

So, yes, it is perfectly logical. They believed in God the Son, or Jesus as you might want to call Him.

But since they were men, even though God declared them to be righteous, they all had sin. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

David had adultery and murder, Abraham demonstrated unbelief at times, Noah got drunk, and so on and so forth.

And the standard to enter the Kingdom of God is 100 percent perfect obedience to His laws. And since all men have fallen in Adam, God sent His Son into the world to redeem all of His people.
Elijah, David and Noah could not have been in heaven if God didn't have a predetermined plan to deal with their sins.

... and you swallowed the logic, smh.
if that is all you know, by all means stick to it, but the truth is more than you can grasp.

menxer:


... and you swallowed the logic, smh.
if that is all you know, by all means stick to it, but the truth is more than you can grasp.

Well, those who will understand will understand, even though it doesn't seem logical to you.

faites:


Thanks for throwing more light on this. I used to think being bore again entails perfection, and I feel wretched when I don't seem to measure up to those laid down standards on a daily basis.

But I have a question. Is it then not possible for one to attain perfection at a point in life? We can't always be babe's fed with milk.

Ephesians 4:13 says that the spiritual gifts are given to build up the body of Christ “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Some translations say that we will become “perfect” (instead of “mature”), and from this some people have mistakenly thought that we can reach sinless perfection in this life. The Bible teaches that, while we are in the flesh, we will always struggle with a sin nature (see Romans 7:14-24). No one will be “perfect” (sinless) until we reach heaven.

menxer:


where is the place of justice in these your arguments?

is God a sadistic tyrant, that he should punish a righteous man for other peoples' sins?

Do you know or researched into how the concept of "everlasting life" for man came about and crept into Christianity?

God never created man to live for ever, because man was "perfect" at creation, and as such no amount of "sin" would have made man fall and lose eternal life; "for the gift and call of God is without repentance", meaning man never had the gift of eternal life.

After all the "sin" of man is nothing compared to that of Lucifer/Satan yet Lucifer/Satan lives for ever.

This is the Gospel of justification. We are Justified(Just-as-if-we-never-sinned) freely by Grace through faith in Christ Jesus. God is not a tyrant. He is a ever loving father. Sin brought death.. Man average age of man since d onset of sin decreased with increasing sin. From Methuselah till date.. You see.

Satan can't live forever. Read the book of Revelations

bein born again is to identify with christ in baptism, he came, he lay his life for humanity, and on the third day he rose again for our justification so that we may have life and have it more abundantly. During the process of baptism, we are suspended or dip inside the river which signifies dead and bein buried in christ then raise up which signify resurrection and newness of life. 2cor 5:17 says. If any man be in christ,he is a new creation old thing shall passed away behold all thing shall become new

Bibline:


This is the Gospel of justification. We are Justified(Just-as-if-we-never-sinned) freely by Grace through faith in Christ Jesus. God is not a tyrant. He is a ever loving father. Sin brought death.. Man average age of man since d onset of sin decreased with increasing sin. From Methuselah till date.. You see.

Satan can't live forever. Read the book of Revelations

I asked a question in regards to the argument the "commenter" made, so your answer should reference the comment I questioned.

So you mean to say as sin increased God's power reduced that he had to look for someone to come and die that man may be justified?

Yes, at Sunday school level it makes sense but to one seeking spiritual enlightenment and awareness it makes no sense.

To me, as man evolves in creation he moves away from and towards God at the same time, for in the end is the beginning.

Lets use an analogy, as the sun rises at dawn is it not moving (evolving) towards dusk, and towards a new dawn?

to be born again...personally i think is to try as much as possible to adhere to d do's and dont of Our Lord God

Being born again means accepting the person of Christ, follow his teaching and be willing to do his will always. A true born again Christian cannot sin any more, if he does it mean is not yet born again.

iliyande:
The term “born again” is one of the most used phrases among present-day Christians. Yet, if asked what the term born again means, most church members could not give a clear explanation. The importance of this subject is shown in what Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Jesus is saying that to be born again is to be saved. Being born again is the plan of salvation that Jesus authored at Calvary.

We've all probably heard the encounter between the pharisee Nicodemus and Jesus and the conversation they had about being born again. In John 3:3, Jesus tells Nicodemus, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again[b] he cannot see the kingdom of God." It confused the scholar back then and it still confuses many today.

But sadly many Christians loosely throw around the concept and phrase, often losing the true essence of spiritual rebirth. Being born again can mean a lot of things to many people and many of the interpretations can be far from the truth. Here are three common ways that many Christians misunderstand being born again.

That being born again means being perfect

Often, believers think that when we are born into the faith as we receive Jesus into our lives that almost instantly all our vices, bad habits and problems will go away. God never says this and in fact tells us that coming into a relationship with Him is only the start of the journey.

2 Corinthians 3:18 says, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." Progressively Jesus changes us into His image and likeness as He removes the occurrence of sin in our life.

That born again comes by confessing alone

Christianity is far from just being lip service. It is a faith that encompasses every part of our being. To say that "we're Christian" alone does not mean that we now live a life in Christ. Even Romans 10:9 tells us that "...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

More than just confessing with our mouths, we are to believe in our hearts, which will then result to a new way of life as we surrender to God and trust Him to do what's best for us. That's why it's called faith. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus emphasized, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

That we are born into a religion

Being born again does not just result simply to becoming a member of a church organization or being born into an earthly alliance. When we are born again, we are born into both a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ and then consequently added to the fellowship of saints. It has very little to do with ritual and tradition and has everything to do with love and intimacy.

The truth is that you do not allow anything to turn you aside from this truth: you must be born again. If you haven’t as yet, you should do so today

I believe in this. If I'm to choose between two ladies I do go for the born again provided she's also pretty and educated, otherwise.... NO!.

samiboy774:
to be born again...personally i think is to try as much as possible to adhere to d do's and dont of Our Lord God

These things are not meant to be according to personal interpretation but according to the teachings of Jesus Christ. And in John 3 vs 1 - 8, Jesus Christ explained in clear that born-again is the way to gain access to the Kingdom of God.

The same Jesus Christ, in Matthew 7 vs 13 - 14, also taught that there are two gates into the Kingdom for those who are born-again- the broad gate which leads to eternal destruction and the narrow gate which only a few will find and enter that leads to true life.

dumpointer:
Born again means born anew

dumpointer, Are you certain you are born again? It is nothing like playing mental assent games with God as there is evidence from God Himself to prove whether this has taken place or not in those who are in fact born again.

Man was born flesh and blood from his mother's womb. Jesus Christ told you this in His Gospel, affirming what God said in the beginning when He pointed out that man was made from the clay of this earth, not spirit - Genesis 2 vs 6 - 7. So in order to become a citizen of the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom where only those who are born of spirit can gain access, a first step in becoming a Son of God and eventually a partaker in the blessings and rewards of the Kingdom of God, one must first be born-again. And as broken down carefully in His Gospel by Jesus Christ, one must first be born-again before one can then become a citizen of the Kingdom of God.

1 There was a man named Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees. He was an important Jewish leader.
2 One night he came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a teacher sent from God. No one can do these miraculous signs that you do unless they have God’s help.”
3 Jesus answered, “I assure you, everyone must be born again. Anyone who is not born again cannot be in God’s kingdom.”
4 Nicodemus said, “How can a man who is already old be born again? Can he go back into his mother’s womb and be born a second time?”
5 Jesus answered, “Believe me when I say that everyone must be born from water and the Spirit. Anyone who is not born from water and the Spirit cannot enter God’s kingdom.
6 The only life people get from their human parents is physical. But the new life that the Spirit gives a person is spiritual.
7 Don’t be surprised that I told you, ‘You must be born again.’
8 The wind blows wherever it wants to. You hear it, but you don’t know where it is coming from or where it is going. It is the same with everyone who is born from the Spirit.” - John 3 vs 5 - 8

○ Born of Water — Is an acknowledgment of the message spread by John the Baptist whose call for repentance as found in Matthew 3 vs 2 Jesus Christ was reiterated beginning at the start of His own Kingdom mission, "Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand" found in Matthew 4 vs 7 & Mark 1 vs 15.

As John explained in his conversation with the Pharisees, to be born of water — baptized — there is a need for repentance, a visible transition from following God's Old Law of Moses to following God's New agreement of peace —Jesus Christ. In verse 8 of the passage below, John instructs the Pharisees to change their hearts and show by the way that they live that they have in fact changed from following the Old Way to following the New way — Jesus Christ.

7 Many Pharisees and Sadducees came to where John was baptizing people. When John saw them, he said, “You are all snakes! Who warned you to run from God’s judgment that is coming?
8 Change your hearts! And show by the way you live that you have changed.
9 I know what you are thinking. You want to say, ‘but Abraham is our father!’ That means nothing. I tell you, God could make children for Abraham from these rocks.
10 The ax is now ready to cut down the trees. Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
[b]11 “I baptize you with water to show that you have changed your hearts and lives. But there is someone coming later who is able to do more than I can. I am not good enough to be the slave who takes off his sandals. - Matthew 3 vs 7 - 11

Suffice to say, the kind of repentance God desires is not simply an abandoning of one's sinful ways but more importantly, an abandoning of the hold the Old Law had on one to embrace instead a full commitment to following and abiding by the direct teachings and commandments of Jesus Christ alone. Once one is baptized in water after this, one is said to have concluded the work of obedience necessary for one to be Born of water.
○ Born of Spirit(Eternal Life) - In John 3 vs 16, Jesus Christ elucidated that all those who believe in Him will receive Eternal Life in place of the condemnation of Death which they formerly lived under as a result of God's judgment against sinners of Old - Deuteronomy 30 vs 15 - 20. The Spirit of Eternal life, the spirit those who are in fact born again are born of, as described by Jesus Christ in the context of John 3 vs 1 - 21 is not a passive spirit. Rather, He is an uncontrollable invasion of those of the individual who is born of Him — a possession so to speak. This can be vividly seen in what Jesus Christ said of those who are born of the Spirit of Life in John 3 vs 5 - 8

7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”
8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered, “You don’t know what God can give you. And you don’t know who I am, the one who asked you for a drink. If you knew, you would have asked me, and I would have given you living water.”
11 The woman said, “Sir, where will you get that living water? The well is very deep, and you have nothing to get water with.
12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob? He is the one who gave us this well. He drank from it himself, and his sons and all his animals drank from it too.”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again.
14 But anyone who drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. The water I give people will be like a spring flowing inside them. It will bring them eternal life.”
15 The woman said to Jesus, “Sir, give me this water. Then I will never be thirsty again and won’t have to come back here to get more water.” - John 4 vs 7 - 15

In the above passage, Jesus Christ equally describes the Spirit of Eternal life as living water on the inside of those who drink from Him again implying that one does not get a passive spirit but a conscious spirit wielding power inside of them when born of Spirit.

The born-again process is clearly not of the mind but of acts of obedience and also of invasion by the controlling power of the Spirit of Eternal Life who then guides one into the Kingdom of God where eventually — if one continues in submission and obedience — one is able to become a son of God, moving on to attain righteous by seeking first the Kingdom of God(holiness) and God's righteousness as commanded by Jesus Christ. However, none of this will be possible if one is not first born-again. So, ask yourself today, are you born-again? Can you confirm today that the Spirit of Eternal life has invaded your person and is actively working in you pushing you in whichever direction He chooses? or are you pretending to be born again in order to fit into the religious circles of men?

iliyande:

The term “born again” is one of the most used phrases among present-day Christians.

The truth is that you do not allow anything to turn you aside from this truth: you must be born again. If you haven’t as yet, you should do so today

The idea became a general concept not more than a century ago when fraudsters who were desperately looking for gullible followers began using it to gather many novice. 2Timothy 4:3-4 ; 2Peter 2:1
Between the first century and nineteenth the idea wasn't common because Jesus was talking about Jews who wanted to become part of his ruling team not all his disciples.
Today misinformed Churchgoers has mocked God's word a lot with the concept as different sects claiming denominations under one religion with contradicting teachings and conflicting doctrines are obsessed with being born again whereas the real BORN AGAIN as taught by Christ Jesus must have the same line of thought! John 17:22; 1Corinthians 1:10

Proffdada:
how about the thief on the cross?

The thief on the cross was not born-again. Rather, he was judged according to God's Old Covenant - Ezekiel 18 vs 1 - 32 & Ezekiel 33 vs 10 - 20.

buchi16:
wat is born again den?

In the words of Jesus Christ, the Word of God Himself, to be born-again means to be born of water and born of Spirit, and No man can enter the Kingdom of God except he is first born again - John 3 vs 1 - 21

Fran6ik:
■ To be born again is to be BAPTISED! Dont hide the fact stipulated by Jesus Christ. That is all Jesus said oooo

What Jesus Christ instead said is that to be born again is to be born of water and to be born of the Spirit of Eternal Life which He went on to describe as a literal possession of the individual by the Spirit which then gives new Life - John 3 vs 1 - 8. Does this possession by the Spirit of Eternal life(grace) amount to a baptism?